The Switch Effect 2019 Preview

January 7, 2019

New Year, New Games!

The calendar rolled over, and that means we have a whole new year’s worth of games ahead of us! By the time 2020 rolls around, there will have been hundreds of new games to fill our (my) empty, empty lives. Some haven’t been made public yet, but some have! Here’s a list of what figures to be the biggest Switch releases of the coming year… I hope.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Developer: Team Ninja Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: TBA 2019 After a decade-long absence, the hit action-RPG/brawler hybrid series returns, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch! The game appears to ditch the strict top-down camera angle of its predecessors in favor of a true 3D perspective, which is cool. The stunning graphics look like a really cool nod to the characters’ comic book origins. I see characters from the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, Inhumans, and Spider-Man in the trailers they’ve shown so far. As a lifelong Marvel Zombie, I’m really looking forward to seeing what Team Ninja can do with my favorite characters.

Fire Emblem Three Houses

Developer: Intelligent Systems Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: Q2 2019 We’ve been getting info on this game in drips and drabs for a few years. Nintendo first announced it in 2017 with no title or trailer; we finally got both in a Nintendo Direct last year, but no firm release date yet. It looks to mix traditional Fire Emblem turn-based gameplay with some new tactical elements, as well as expanded between-mission town and castle exploration. I am very much ready for this game to release; Fire Emblem is far and away my favorite Nintendo property.

Tales of Vesperia

Developer: Bandai Namco Games Publisher: Bandai Namco Games Release Date: 01.11.2019 I didn’t want to include re-releases on this list, but I just love the Tales series so much I couldn’t resist; Vesperia is neck and neck with Symphonia for my favorite entry in the series, too, so that may have colored my judgement a little bit. It includes content never before released in the US, so I’m willing to count that as a new game. I can’t wait to jump back into action with Yuri and the gang; especially the real star of the game – Repede. Gaming needs more one-eyed, pipe-smoking, anime ninja wolves. Hell, the world in general does.

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture Publisher: Grasshopper Manufacture/Nintendo Release Date: 01.18.2019 Travis Touchdown is back! Goichi Suda is back! Never a series to shy away from meta weirdness, TSA:NMH takes place inside a game console, with Travis fighting for his life against an array of classic and indie gaming archetypes. In contrast to the first two entries in the series, the game appears to switch to a top-down perspective similar to the classic Marvel Ultimate Alliance entries. The action still looks bonkers, though, so don’t worry about Travis. His life will make as much sense as it ever did.

Mortal Kombat 11

Developer: NetherRealm Studios Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment Release Date: 04.23.2019 The classic fighting series continues with a multi-console release this April. Switch users get shafted just a little, as PS4 and X-Bone users who preorder get access to the game’s beta in March. Everybody gets Shao Khan for preordering, but dat beta though… Anyway, the graphics look incredibly detailed and the series’ signature ultra-violence looks to be intact. Questionable trailer music choices aside, this game looks sure to please the fanbase.

Animal Crossing

Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: TBA 2019 There’s not a lot of info about this game right now. We’ve got a tentative date of 2019 and a teaser trailer, and that’s about it. We can assume the gameplay will be similar to previous entries, maybe with a new twist or two to keep things fresh, but we’ll need to stay tuned to those Nintendo Directs if we want any hard info on this one.

Bloodstained Ritual of the Night

Developer: ArtPlay, DICO, WayForward Technologies Publisher: 505 Games Release Date: TBA 2019 After a massively successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015, legendary Castlevania produer Koji Igarashi’s spiritual successor to his beloved series will see the light of day in 2019… hopefully. The game originally had a 2018 release window, but was pushed back over quality control concerns raised during a beta release for Kickstarter backers. An NES-styled prequel, Bloodstained Curse of the Moon, was released in May 2018, so if you haven’t played that yet you’ll have something to hold you over while you wait.

Daemon X Machina

Developer: Marvelous Inc Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: TBA 2019 When I first saw the trailer for Daemon X Machina I got major Armored Core vibes. Turns out I was on to something, as the game is produced by longtime contributor to that series, Kenichiro Tsukuda. Throw in mech designs by Shoji Kawamori of Macross fame, and we’ve got ourselves a darn good creative foundation for a new game series. The game’s trailer promises a fast-paced action extravaganza, and I’m hoping for some deep mech customization options to go along with it. In a recurring theme for this list, there’s no hard release date yet, but hey; it’ll only be a year at most, right?

Pokemon Core Game (Untitled)

Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: 2019 So… we don’t know literally anything about this game other than that it will be a new core entry in the Pokemon series. I don’t know how much more you need to hear to get excited, but I’m psyched up already. There’s no trailer, no teaser… heck, we haven’t even got a title or two yet. We’ve been promised the best-looking Pokemon entry ever, so I wait patiently for more information. As long as it comes soon.

Shin Megami Tensei V

Developer: Atlus Publisher: Atlus Release Date: TBA So this might be a bit of wishful thinking on my part. They haven’t even announced a release date for Japan yet, let alone NA. It has been confirmed for a North American release, though, so I’m listing it here! Look at that trailer! How can you not want to play it right now? I can’t wait another year for this, so if anyone from Atlus is reading this, please take this as encouragement to get this thing shipped ASAP! TAKE MY MONEY!

Metroid Prime 4

Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: TBA So I can pretty much copy and paste the above entry for Metroid Prime 4. No actual release date, no hard info or gameplay footage. Still, I want it so bad I’m putting it in my 2019 preview list. Don’t make me look stupid, Nintendo! TAKE MORE OF MY MONEY!

Luigi’s Mansion 3

Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: TBA 2019 Once again, there is precious little information about this title available. Nintendo announced it with a 2019 release date in a Nintendo Direct, and then silence. On the one hand, Luigi fans have to be frustrated by the lack of details. On the other hand, at least he’s not dead? That’s got to count for something, right?

Bayonetta 3

Developer: PlatinumGames Inc Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: TBA Announced waaaaaay back in 2017, PlatinumGames’ beloved Umbra Witch is making her way to the Switch in her first new game since 2014. It looks to retain the series’ signature over-the-top epic action sequences. But, keeping with the sadly recurring theme for this list, there is no official release date yet. But Amazon has it listed for 2019, so I’m going with that. I guess I’ll just watch the teaser for the thousandth time and see if I missed anything… again…